Rotary tool joint



March s, 193s. F, J. HINDERUT'ER 2,110,127

ROTARY TOOL JOINT Filed July l5, 41955 2 Sheets-Sheet l unimi March 8, 1938.` F. J. HINDERLITER A2,110,127

ROTARYTOOL JOINT A Filed July 15, 1955 2 sheets-sheet 2 l 22? mllllmnn ..--4231 g/ 22g Hmm f2 T 21 l J5 Y 2 1 213/ 216/ y zz@ 259/ i? l -l j Patented Mar. 8, 179378 UNITI-:D1 STATE-s ROTARY 'rooL JoIN'r Frank J. Hnderliter, Tulsa., Okla. Application July 15, 1935, serial No. 31,329

4 Claims.

This invention relates to sealing means for tool joints and more particularly to a rotary tool joint for use with drill pipes of the same general character as that disclosed in my issued patent,

5 Re. 19,196, granted June 5, 1934.

An object of this invention is to provide improved sealing means for use in a rotary tool joint.

Another object of this invention is to provide a tool joint with sealing means which is easier to dispose in a sealing position in the joint.

In accordance with the general features of this invention, there is provided a tool joint including pin and box members each having pipe sockets l5 with-sealing means therein and the box member having a pin socket with sealing means therein, said sealing means being adapted to be screwed into a properly seated position in the bottom of each of the sockets.

In accordance with another form of the in-A vention, the sealing means is brought into a properly seated position on the bottom of the socket of the tool joint by the act of threading the insert or the male member into the socket. g5' Other objects and features of this invention will more fully appear from the following detail description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate several embodimentsthereof and in which- 3o Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through a tool joint embodying the features of this invention showing it connected to the upset ends of drill pipes.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but illus- 35, trating the pin and box members as being separated with a sealing ring therebetween and also showing one of the upset pipe ends and its sealing means disconnected from the pipe socket in the pin member.

Figure 3 is a sectional view similar to a portion I of Fig. 1 illustrating a modification of the invention and showing the male member and its sealing means in a position just above the sealing position.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the sealing means in its properly seated and wedged position.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of a modification ofthe invention, ,showing a modified form of 30 sealing means between the pin and box members of the joint.

Figure 6 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 5, showing a still further modified form of sealing means between the box and pin members of the i5 joint.

PATENT OFFICE erally a rotary tool joint including a pin member Al0 II and a box member I2, each of which has at its outer end a threaded socket I3-I4 into which an upset end I5 of a'drill pipe I6 is adapted to be screwed. 1

In the bottom of each of the sockets I3 and' 15 I4 there is disclosed a sealing ring I'I-I'I which may be made of any suitable resilient material, sch for example as rubber. This rubber ring has its outer periphery threaded to correspond with the threads of the socket I3-I4 so that the 20 ring may be threaded to a seated position in the bottom of the socket. These'threads are designated by the reference character 20 in Fig. 2.. f Also the inner periphery of the rubber ring I'I is provided with a reinforcing steel band 2| which 25 comprises a unitary part of the ring and may be m'olded with or otherwise secured toA the ring so as to constitute a component thereof. The purpose of this steel band 2| is to confine the displacement of the rubber and toprevent the rubber from being displaced inwardly vof the ring.

l It has been my experience that unless some reinforcing means is .provided for the ring, there is a likelihood for the mud laden uid under pres-` sure being circulated through the pipes and joints 35 to unseat the rubber.

The inserting thrust of the upset pipe end I5 will of course press the rubber ring downwardly into tight engagement with the threaded bottom of the socket and will cause the outer end of' the 40 rubber ring to be displaced or distorted as shown in Fig. 1 whereby a tight seal is provided.

The pin member II has a tapered threaded shank 25 adapted to be screwed into a tapered threaded socket 26 in the box member I2. Posi- 45 tioned on the bottom of the socket 26 is a rubber sealing ring 21 which is illustrated out of the sockl et in Fig. 2. This rubber ring 21 has its outer periphery 28 threaded so that it can be screwed into the bottom of the socket. riphery of the ring is provided with a reinforcing steel band 29 which may be molded or otherwise secured in the rubber ring. The purpose of this band is the same as that of the band 2I. Also this band as well as the band 2l may be provided 55 The inner pewith an aperture 3|! to accommodate the ends of a suitable tool for threadingthe sealing ring into the bottom of the socket. Y

When the rubber ring 21 is compressed by the inserting thrust of the threaded shank 25 of the pin member, it will assume somewhat the position illustrated in Fig. l.. That is to say, its outermost end will be distorted or displaced into tight sealing engagement with the lower end of the male portion or shank 25. From the foregoing it will be apparent that the rings I1 and 21 are easy to dispose in a proper sealing position in the bottom of each of the sockets by merely screwing these sealing rings into the threaded. lower ends of the sockets. Moreover, when they are subjected to the inserting thrust of the male member screwed into the socket, the threads on the outer periphery of each of these rings will be tightly compressed against the corresponding threads of the bottom of the socket engaged thereby. This provides a tortuous path through whichany uid must travel inorder for'such fluid to leave .the joint. The seal afforded by the engagement of these` teeth is also augmented by the displacement ofthe outer end of the rubber ring by reason of the inserting thrust of the male member inserted in the socket. Thus a seal is not .only provided along the threaded portion of the bottom of the socket but in addition thereto a seal is provided at the outer end of the ring where it is engaged by the inserted male member.

Incidentally, the openings 30 also allow the uid under pressure in the joint to act on an intermediate portion of the ring as well as on the outer end of the ring which is in engagement with the end ofthe inserted male member. The pressure of the mud-laden uid will naturally tend to press the rubber into tighter sealing engagement.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is illustrated a modification in which` the male member I I5 which may correspond to either the upset end of a `pipe or the threaded shank of a pin member is screwed into a tapered socket ||3 in a tool joint member IIII.

I'he lower end of the tapered socket ||3 is not threaded but instead is-provided with a tapered or inclined smooth wall I I6 adapted to wedgingly cooperate .with a rubber sealing 'ring ||1 disposed in an annular groove IIB in the lower end of the male member ||5.

The ring |I1 may be made of any suitable resilient material, such as rubber, and is preferably iiexed or snapped into tight retained engagement in the groove I I8.

By reason of the fact that the socket ||3 is tapered, the rubber ring ||1 is` enabled to clear the threads until it reaches the bottom of the socket. When this ring comesinto engagement with the inclined wall I6, the inserting thrust of the male member ,will cause it to be wedged into tight sealing engagement'with the"inclin'ed or tapered wall I I6 as shown in Fig. 4. Thus I haveA provided a structure wherein the sealing means is disposed in the socket in proper sealing condition bythe mere act of screwing the threaded male member intothe socket.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another modification of the invention in which the pin member I I I .has a threaded shank |25 screwed into a tapered threaded socket |26 in a box member |29.

The lower end of the shank |25 has a dovetailed shaped groove |28 in which is seated a sealing or rubber ring |21. 'I'his ring may be flexed or snapped into tight engagement with the grooved end of the shank |25 so as to become a unitary part of that shank. In addition thereto, the outer periphery of the ring is provided with a plurality of threads |30 corresponding with the threads on the shank sothat this rubber ring can be threaded into the bottom of the socket until it comes into engagement with the shoulder |3| in the box member |29. v

In this form of the invention asin the previously described one, the sealing ring is disposed in proper sealing vposition in lthe bottom of the socket by the act of lscrewing the pin member into the socket of the box member.. The two members are tightened'until their shoulders engageat which time the rubber ring is tightly pressed or wedged into sealingyengagement with the bottom of the socket as shown in Fig. 5. The rubber ring has a cross sectional area which is greater than that of the groove |28 so that it extends beyond the lower end of the shank |25. As a result thereof, the innermost portion of the ring must of necessity be displaced by theinserting thrust of the pin member whereby this portion is croweded along the shoulder |3| between that shoulder and the lower end of the shank |25.

The slight space separating the end of the shank |25 -from the shoulder |3| also allows the fluid under pressure flowing through the joint to act on the exposed portion of the rubber ring between the shank and shoulder. Thus the uid under pressure is also utilized to aid in the maintenance of the seal between the male and female members of this joint construction.

In Fig. 6 another form of the invention is illustrated in which the rubber ring 221 is screwed into the bottom of the socket 226 of box member 229 instead of being carried by the shank 225 of the pin member 2| A The bottom of the threaded tapered socket 226 is provided with an upstanding annular rib or ange 23| which serves to confine the displacement of the rubber ring 221. It moreover cooperates with the threaded wall of the socket to define a groove 228 in which the rubber ring 221 is screwed. The rubber ring 221 has threads 236 in its outer periphery corresponding with the.

- teethor threads on the-shank 225 so that it may `and 4 with the exception that in thisv form of the invention the outer periphery of the rubber sealing ring 2I1 is inclined or tapered and the wall 2|6 is substantially straight.

The rubber sealing'ring2 I 1 is seated in a groove v2 I8 in the lower end of the tapered threaded male member 2|5 screwed into the tapered threaded socket 2| 3 of the tool joint member 2|6.

The outer periphery of this rubber ring 2|1 is inclined upwardly and outwardly from the lower end ofthe shank 2|5 as indicated at 220. 'I he bottom of the socket 2|3 terminates in a substantially straight wall 2|6 adapted to wedgingly co- .operate with the sealing ring 2|1.

In Figure 7 I-have illustrated the condition of the rubber sealing ring 2|1- vprior to its being wedged or crowded down the wall 2|6, Whereas in Figure 8 I have illustrated its position after it is wedged into contact with the wall 2l6 by the inserting thrust of the male member 2li.

Now, I desire it understood that while I have illustrated and described in detail several forms of the invention; the invention is not to be thus limited, but only insofar as dened by the scope and spirit of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: A

1. In a rotary tool joint including box and pin members which have a threaded socket for receiving a male part, a sealing ring of resilient material carried by the male part and having threads on its outer periphery for enabling it to be screwed into the bottom of the socket, said ring being tightly disposed in a groove on the lower end of the male part so that it may be screwed into the socket at thevsame time thatthe male part is inserted therein.

2. In a rotary drilling rig, including a plurality of stands of pipe, means including tool joints for connecting the stands of pipe together, and sealing means in each joint arranged to be pressed into sealed tight engagement with the walls of the joint, said sealing means comprising a resilient ring carried by an end of a pipe so that as the pipe is threaded into the socket of the joint,

the ring is alsov threaded into tight sealing engagement with the bottom of the socket. l

3. In a rotary tool joint including box and pin members which have a threaded socket for receiving a male part, a sealing ring of resilient material carried by the male part and `having threads on its outer periphery for enabling it to be screwed into the bottom of the socket, a portion of said ring being adapted to be displaced laterally upon assembly of said members, thereby to increase the eiective sealing area of ysaid sealing ring.

4. In a rotary tool joint including box and pin members which have a threaded socket for receiving a male part, a sealing ring of resilient material carried by the male part and having threads on its outer periphery for enabling it to be screwed into the bottom of the socket, said ring being tightly disposed in a groove on the lower end of the male part so that it may be screwed into the i socket at the same time that the inale part is inserted therein, a portion of said ring being arranged to extend below the lower end of said male part, thereby to permit lateral displacement of said portion when said male part is screwed into said socket.

FRANK J. HINDERLITER. 

